Close Encounter of Heart Kind

From last six days, I am almost stationed at Asian Heart Institute. It has proved to be closed encounter of Heart kind. My close relative has undergone through open heart surgery on 20th Feb 2013.

In fact he was getting some warning signals that heart is not just right. But the problem is that warning signals of heart disease and gastric problems are pretty similar.

He  all along used to go to office in his car, but from few weeks, he started going by local, whenever he walked a while on platform, he used to feel heaviness in chest for 25-30 minutes, but thought it may be because of eating something heavier. When he had gone to a cardiac just by chance, after angiography got to know that there was severe blockade in 5 arteries ranging from 70 to 80 percent. The doctor advised to undergo bypass surgery.

Thought of opening heart for surgery shake up entire self-confidence, so we  identified a cardiac surgeon with 99.5% success rate who is also very innovative in procedure . It is very easy to pronounce sermons to others but when things like this come in ones own life it cause lot of tension and anxiety. Counselors explained explained details and intricacies of the entire procedure to make our patient sturdy and ready to accept the evitable as well as inevitable. This further increased his anxiety level.

Oh, I have forgotten to tell that in between lot of well wishers came up with their own ideas and prescriptions to avoid surgery. One of them was after  some kind of combination of homeopathy medicines. This happens, this gives opportunity to people to show their concern in their own way. Experimenting any miracle with five major blockade is unwarranted,  so the most logical thing was to go for the surgery procedure under guidance of best in the field.

While I was sitting in the hospital for longer hours, I was roving and trying to read something relevant, which may help to live without heart problem.

I give a diagram which will help to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy heart : 

Atherosclerosis

Lowering your risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) can help you prevent a heart attack. (For more information about risk factors, go to ‘Who is at Risk for a heart attack’

Even if you already have CHD, you can still take steps to lower your risk for a heart attack. These steps involve following a heart healthy lifestyle and getting ongoing care.

Adopt Heart Healthy Lifestyle

Following a healthy diet is an important part of a heart healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars.

Couple of garlic pod with lukewarm water soon after getting up in the morning also help to clear arteries.

If you're overweight or obese, work with your doctor to create a reasonable weight-loss plan that involves diet and physical activity. Controlling your weight helps you control risk factors for CHD and heart attack.

Be as physically active as you can. Physical activity can improve your fitness level and your health. Talk with your doctor about what types of activity are safe for you.

If you smoke, quit. Smoking can raise your risk of CHD and heart attack. Talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit. Also, try to avoid secondhand smoke.

 Treating conditions that make a heart attack more likely also can help lower your risk for a heart attack. These conditions may include:

High Blood Cholesterol  :  Your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower your cholesterol if diet and exercise aren't enough.

High Bolod Pressure  : You doctor may prescribe medicine to keep your blood pressure under control.

Diabetes  (high blood sugar). : If you have diabetes, try to control your blood sugar level through diet and physical activity (as your doctor recommends). If needed, take medicine as prescribed.

Now the final question is whether drinking as any adverse relation with heart disease. A number of studies have been conducted in the past. I share the latest one published in Telegraph.

The study has confirmed that low levels of alcohol protect against heart disease but it also found that even high levels of consumption still reduced the risk of developing the condition.

Experts warned that the protective effect against heart disease did not get bigger the more people drank but the risk of cancer, accidents, mental health problems and liver cirrhosis do increase with high consumption.

Many people raised doubt about the  study.

But this  study,  was conducted in Spain, one of the world's largest producers of wine but with one of the lowest death rates from heart disease.

The authors found that drinking between five and 30 grams of alcohol a day, the equivalent to less than one UK unit to almost four units or up to one large glass of red wine, reduced the risk of developing heart disease by half.

So choose a healthy life style and say goodbye to heart disease.